This is it! Five stars for “Tiny Bear’s Bible” is written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, the woman who wrote “The Jesus Storybook Bible.” I may have thought I was selecting this FREE review copy when I picked “The Toddlers’ Adventure Bible,” which I rated three stars.
“Tiny Bear’s Bible” is AWESOME! It covers the Old and New Testaments in 11 stories, stiff board-book pages, and a cheesy-adorable fuzzy bear cover. When I was little I would’ve eaten that up.
The stories are told in rhyme to Tiny Bear and predictably cover creation, Moses, Noah, Daniel, Jesus’ birth. I really like its coverage of Jesus: the stories get across the gist of His message, death, and redirection in a tot-appropriate way.
I didn’t like how the tot Adventure Bible skipped the crucifixion completely. No. Death is part of life and I don’t agree with shielding kids from it. And Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection is the ENTIRE POINT OF THE BIBLE.
So far our approach has worked well with Isaac—we just discuss death as we encounter it—and this Bible talks about Jesus’ death and resurrection resulting in our living again with Him! Hallelujah! And that’s so important, for our kids to know from a young age the hope we have in Christ. Otherwise, death comes along and life seems totally hopeless.
Anyway, we’re also currently watching the Disney movie “Bears” on repeat, to the point where Isaac says, “No, I not a boy! I not a monkey!” “Well, what are you?” “I a BEAR CUB!” So that is another point in this Bible’s favor at our house!
Conclusion: this is a Bible I would buy as a gift for my own kids or friends aged four and under. An excellent first Bible, prequel or supplement to our favorite “Jesus Storybook Bible,” also by Lloyd-Jones.